Intro
In the 8th chapter Paul spoke of the things that the love of God destroys in the life of the believer, things like fear, guilt, and separation! His purpose over the next three chapters is to exhibit what he had just explained with regards to man’s fallen nature and God’s winning love. Paul anticipates that someone would ask about the Jew who seemed to have been set aside by God for the building of His church.
- Chapter 9 Deals with God’s sovereignty in Israel’s past election
- Chapter 10 Deals with God’s equity in Israel’s present rejection
- Chapter 11 Deals with God’s integrity in Israel’s future restoration
Vs. 1-5 Five advantages God gave Israel
Vs. 1-3 The first thing Paul wants to do before he deals with Israel’s position before God is deal with his heart towards Israel. Paul didn’t hate the people he hated that they were apart from the love of God. When he looked at Jesus he rejoiced but when he looked at the Jews he wept. He hated their condition so much that if he could trade places with them he would. Any religious Jew would recognize these words as being reminiscent of Moses who in their rebellion at the “Golden Calf” incident pleaded before God saying to the Lord in Exodus 32:32 “If You will forgive their sin–but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” In 2 Cor. 11:24 Paul recounts that “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.” They hated him and soon would cause a riot in Jerusalem that would lead to his beating. Yet Paul choose rather to act in love towards then as Jesus had commanded in Matthew 5:44 saying, “I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”. It is one thing to pray that “You could trade place for a lost loved one” and it’s another to pray that way towards the person or people that causes you the most pain and suffering! Spurgeon said, “Lesser things did not trouble Paul because he was troubled by a great thing – the souls of men. Get love for the souls of men – get your soul full of a great grief, and your little griefs will be driven out.”
Vs. 4-5 After stating his heart towards his countryman Paul address the Jews separation from the love of God. God didn’t make a wise decision when He chose you to be the object of His love. He made a gracious choice that displays His love! One of my favorite shows is on the History Channel called “American Restoration” talented people work on ruined objects transforming them back into what they originally what they looked like making them not only functional but works of art; that’s what God has done to us. Upon our arrival as we enter into heaven when Michal and Gabriel strike up the band the song isn’t going to be about the wisdom of God choosing us it’s going to be about how great God is that He has made you a trophy of His transforming love. “Wait, wait Gabe” says Michal, “Look at this one, man he looks incredible remember what a mess he was before God started working on him?” The word “Glory” here is the word that was used to describe the cloud by day and the fire by night that went with Israel during their wilderness experience. The word carries the idea of something that has weight and substance to it, something that is by its presence is real as we used to say in the 70’s its “Heavy Man!” Paul lists 5 “heavy” advantages that God gave Israel to start with:
- Vs. 4a Placement: God had singled out these people through adoption which according to Deut. 7 wasn’t based upon them being the most numerous, or advanced in fact they were the least. Things have not changed in God’s adoption as he takes pleasure in calling the “Foolish things of the world to confound the wise”.
- Vs. 4b Personal Revelation: Paul uses the word that means Shekinah glory which was the direct personal revelation of God’s presence in the cloud that covered then by day and the fire that guided them at night. When the tabernacle was completed this same glorious presence remained in their camp. No other people literally had God in their camp, like Israel did.
- Vs. 4b Prosperity: By prosperity I don’t mean financial or physical things I’m speaking of the things that Paul mentions here namely “the covenants and the giving of the law”. These were the things that Israel needed to succeed and excel in life. If you look out at history no people group has been able to accomplish the things culturally, economically, agriculturally, scientifically or in the area of the arts as have the Jewish people. These blessings came in giving them the book on how to do things. They succeed agriculturally because God told them every 7th year to give the land rest, they were given insight into sanitation and things to eat and not eat. In business they were given insight on making good business decisions and as a society they had laws on crime and punishment and jurisprudence.
- Vs. 4c Purpose: God not only gave them things that would enable them to succeed and excel, but He also gave them a purpose in doing so as we are told that God gave them the “service of God”. In Isaiah 42:6 the Lord said, “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles”. There is nothing more satisfying that the recognition that your talents, gifting and blessings are for a purpose, to bless others. It is as Acts 20:35 tells us “More blessed to give than to receive.”
- Vs. 4d-5 Promises: Finally, Paul speaks on the promises to their forefathers’ men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses David all of which was fulfilled in God’s Son Jesus. Israel’s blessings were not given on the basis of Israel keeping their word but on God keeping His Word. And Paul identifies Jesus here in this verse as the blessed God Himself.
What does these things have to do with Israel being outside of the love of God? It reveals that God has always been faithful in loving His people even though they continued to reject that love as a nation. Paul is taking them on a little historical journey showing God’s loving gracious hand upon the nation even when they were rejecting Him.
Have you ever considered the amount of blessings God has bestowed upon you while you were apart from Him? Jesus said in Matthew 5:45 that the Father, “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” If it wasn’t so then we would only have sun shining on those who have a relationship with God, only those that read their Bibles and pray would get rain on their gardens.
Vs. 6-9 I love you, I promise
Vs. 6-7 With those 5 advantages and Israel still exhibiting faithlessness does that mean that God failed seeing that He was unable to save those He so wanted to save? Paul’s answer is that though God grants great opportunities and special privileges to people, this is not an indication that he guarantees to save them. Paul thinks of someone looking at Israel and saying, “God’s word didn’t come through for them. He didn’t fulfill His promise for them because they missed their Messiah and now seem cursed. How do I know that He will come through for me?” To further illustrate this truth Paul again goes back and looks at Israel’s history by using a play of words with the word Israel which means “ruled by God”. They are not all “God ruled” who claim to be “ruled by God”. God’s salvation is based upon a divine promise not on natural advantages such as inheritance. Abraham, who had two boys but only one was his son by faith Isaac. Ishmael was his and Sarah’s attempt to fulfill the promises of God by means of the work of the flesh. In Gen. 22:2 God said to Abraham “Take your son, your ONLY SON, up the mountain”, God didn’t recognize Ishmael as Abraham’s son of promise. Abraham wanted Ishmael to be the child of promise, but God said no. But according to Genesis 17:20 “as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” It wasn’t that Ishmael wasn’t blessed it was that he wasn’t blessed in the way Abraham had wanted. God doesn’t count His children based upon national identity but rather on personal choice. It is an untrue assessment to say that all Jew’s are outside of the Love of God as it would be to say that all are included and then say that because not all are choosing to be included that somehow God’s or His word failed.
Vs. 8-9 Furthermore His promise is based upon what God does, not on what man will do! Though Ishmael was 13 years older, and Abraham pleaded with God to bless him the son of the promises was Isaac. We get upset at God when He doesn’t choose our Ishmaels; we complain that it’s not fair. Far too often we expect God to bless and honor our ideas and plans. Friends God is committed to fulfilling what He has promised not what you want Him to promise to do.
Vs. 10-13 A faithful God to unfaithful people
Vs. 10-13 Much is made of this quote of Paul out of Malachi, but it is important that we take its meaning for the original language and the context. The meaning of the word hate here is “love less” not “love not at all”. The context would be the same as we are to Love Jesus supremely and all other we are to “love less”. In Gen. 33:8-16, Genesis 36 we see that Esau was a blessed man. God hated Esau in regard to inheriting the covenant, not in regard to blessing in this life or the next. Someone once said, “I cannot understand why God should say that He hated Esau.” Spurgeon replied, “My trouble is to understand how God could love Jacob.” God’s choice of Jacob not Esau before they were born reveals God’s choice was not based upon character or conduct therefore Israelis present disobedience cannot nullify God’s plan or purpose as He will be faithful even if His people were unfaithful. This section teaches us three things with regard to God’s sovereignty and election which He carries out His way:
- Salvation is never based on natural advantages: What we are by background or birthright does not enter into whether you are going to be saved or are saved.
- Salvation is always based upon a promise from God: This is why we are always exhorted in the Bible to believe God’s promises in His word. Our redemption includes the necessity to be confronted with God’s promises and for us to give a willing voluntary submission and surrender to them.
- Salvation never takes notice of whether we are bad or good: In God’s view all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the degree of how far we have fallen compared to someone else is irrelevant. We are all children born into a fallen race and all equally lost and as such all equally redeemable!